Learning the tools of art craftsmanship

Jean Tanner

Sunday

Sep 22, 2013 at 12:13 AM

When the word 'art' is mentioned a person is more apt to think of a beautiful canvas print creatively painted by a patient artist. Or art is thought of as an outstanding framed photograph taken in the blink of an eye with the soft click of a camera lens.

However, I was introduced to a different kind of art, an art that is a little more involved in that it could actually be classified as craftsmanship. Craftsmanship involves wood, various supplies, tools and most importantly, a steady hand.

'SCROLL SAW WORKSHOP'

Neighbor Mark Ratliff was kind enough, after admiring some of his work, to walk me through the procedure from start to finish of making a wooden collectible suitable for wall hanging. Ratliff set up his "scroll saw workshop."

In a room off of his carport, he took up the craft as a hobby after he and his wife Mary, both teachers, retired and relocated in the Bluffton area. Ratliff taught math in the public school system for 30 years.

Now after living in the area quite a number of years and serving 23 years in the Coast Guard Auxiliary, he's looking forward to having more time to spend on his hobby after his 25-year retirement from the Coast Guard.

THE PROCEDURE

For hanging wooden pictures, a thin sheet of Baltic Birch plywood that comes in various thicknesses, sizes and colors is normally used. These special sheets of wood can be purchased from craft stores.

Patterns, if you have a certain project in mind, can be found and downloaded on the Internet at www.scrollsawer.com. Another website that you can obtain free downloads of patterns is scrollsawworkshop.blogspot.com, plus the "Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts" magazine has pull-out patterns in each edition along with other informative tips.

After deciding on a pattern, materials needed other than the wood are: sandpaper, spray adhesives, masking or clear packaging tape, odorless turpentine and a soft cloth and small brush. After assembling all of these, it's time to get started.

First using a sheet of sandpaper, usually a 220-grit, lightly sand the sheet of Baltic plywood brushing off any excess sawdust.

Secondly, cover the entire front area to be cut with masking or clear packaging tape. This process lubricates the saw blade and prevents any burn or scorch marks by the saw blade cutting at a high speed.

Next using adhesive spray, coat the back of the pattern before placing it down on the tape side of the plywood aka the blank.

SPECIAL TOOLS

This is where the use of special tools comes in. Using a drill press and different size drill bits, holes are drilled in multiple spots in the gray area of the pattern, this being the section that will be discarded.

Next comes the scroll saw. It is an intricate piece of machinery in itself that houses the tiny, extremely sharp saw blades and a crook neck nozzle blowing air on the pattern being cut to keep the area clean.

The scroll saw helps to not distract the crafters eye as he painstakingly moves the plywood around while guiding the saw blade from hole to hole to cut out the gray area of the pattern.

After completing the design, the top of the work is brushed with odorless turpentine. After waiting a minute, the pattern and tape can be peeled away from the wood.

Any residue left can be wiped away with a cloth dampened with the turpentine then sanded lightly if necessary. The fuzz on the underside created by the saw blade can be sanded off or burned off with a butane torch being careful as to not burn the wood.

Now the project is ready to be finished with a choice of lacquer, tung oil or wipe-on poly. Tung oil is especially good for 3D cuttings as the entire piece can be submerged.

For flat projects such as portraits, a soft cloth dampened with tung oil or wipe-on poly can be used to rub the finish into the wood grain thus creating a natural appearing surface free of brush marks.

Ideas are endless for the scroll saw craftsman. Other than wall hanging pictures, wooden puzzles, toys, Christmas tree ornaments, mantel clocks, designed light switch covers, inlay magnets and many numerous projects can be created, it's only left to a person's artistic imagination.

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